This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from an application entitled METHOD FOR PROCESSING AN INCOMING CALL IN BRANCH EXCHANGE SYSTEM earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Dec. 29, 1997, and there duly assigned Serial No. 97-76035, a copy of which is annexed hereto.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a call processing method in an exchange system, and more particularly, to a method for processing an incoming call in which a called extension telephone generates a ring and then other associated extensions generate a ring or turn on a lamp or both.
2. Related Art
An exchange system, such as a private automatic branch exchange (PABX) or a key telephone system, is connected to a telephone office through a central office (CO) line and accommodates a plurality of (internal) subscribers. The exchange system provides incoming and outgoing call services to the subscribers connected thereto through extension lines. During the incoming call service, the exchange system generates a ring to a called extension telephone, so as to notify receipt of the incoming call to the subscriber. In general, the exchange system generates the ring to only the called extension telephone.
However, an improved exchange system providing various convenient services generates the ring not only to the called extension telephone but also to the other extension telephones in a specified subscriber group to which the above called extension telephone belongs. In addition, when the called extension telephone does not answer the incoming call, the exchange system transfers, or forwards, the incoming call to the other extension telephones.
A method for generating a ring to all the extension telephones belonging to a specified subscriber group upon receipt of an incoming call is disclosed in Korean patent application No. 35448/1996, filed Aug. 24, 1996 and entitled xe2x80x9cMethod for Providing Ring Services by Subscriber Groups in Exchange System.xe2x80x9d In the prior method, the extension telephones are classified into several subscriber groups, and the extension telephones belonging to a specified subscriber group simultaneously generate the rings upon receipt of the incoming call. For example, assuming that the extension telephones having the extension phone numbers 201, 202, and 203, respectively, are classified into the same subscriber group, when the extension telephone having the phone number 201 receives the incoming call, not only the called extension telephone having the phone number 201 but also the other extension telephones having the extension phone numbers 202 and 203 generate the rings simultaneously. In addition, the extension telephones with the phone numbers 201, 202, and 203 may turn on/off the corresponding lamps to notify receipt of the incoming call. However, in the prior method, the subscribers of the extension telephones with the phone numbers 202 and 203 may answer the incoming call before the subscriber of the called extension telephone with the phone number 201 answers the incoming call. In such a case, the subscribers of the extension telephones with the phone numbers 202 and 203 should transfer the incoming call to the subscriber of the called extension telephone with the phone number 201, which gives the user inconvenience. Further, an office employing the prior exchange system may be noisy with the telephone rings, since all the extension telephones belonging to the same subscriber group generate the rings simultaneously.
An improved method for transferring the incoming call to another extension telephone when a called extension telephone does not answer the incoming call, is disclosed in Korean patent application No. 43712/1997, filed Aug. 30, 1997 and entitled xe2x80x9cMethod for Transferring Incoming Call.xe2x80x9d For example, when the called extension telephone having the extension phone number 201 does not answer the incoming call or is busy, the exchange system transfers the incoming call to the extension telephone with the phone number 202 and generates the ring to the above extension telephone, after an elapse of a specified time. When the extension telephone with the phone number 202 also does not answer the incoming call or is busy for a specified time, the exchange system then transfers the incoming call to the extension telephone with the phone number 203 and generates the ring to the extension telephone. Such a call transfer (or call forwarding) operation is performed based on a prescribed call transfer list. Even in the improved method, when the subscriber having the extension phone number 201 returns after the incoming call is transferred to the extension telephone with the phone number 202 during absence of the called subscriber, the subscriber having the extension phone number 202 should transfer the incoming call back to the called subscriber having the extension phone number 201, which is troublesome.
The simultaneous ring service and the call transfer service described above can be performed separately or together. Even in case the above two services are performed together, the above problems cannot be solved.
I have found that unnecessary noise due to ringing extension telephones in an office can be extremely inconvenient. Efforts have been made to improve telephone systems.
Exemplars of recent efforts in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,163 for MICROCOMPUTER CONTROLLED KEY TELEPHONE LINE CIRCUIT issued to White et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,314 for MESSAGE AND RINGING SIGNALING DEVICE FOR A TELEPHONE INSTALLATION issued to Guyader et al.
While these recent efforts provide advantages, I note that they fail to adequately provide a method for efficiently and conveniently reducing unnecessary noise due to ringing extension telephones in an office.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for processing an incoming call in full consideration of the subscriber""s circumstances, in an exchange system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for minimizing telephone noises generated when processing an incoming call in an exchange system.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method for processing incoming calls in a telephone exchange system, wherein a user places an incoming call to a first extension number 201 while second and third extensions 202 and 203 are associated with first extension 201, such that when a multibutton telephone having the phone number 201 receives the incoming call from the central office line, the multibutton telephone with the phone number 202 generates the ring two seconds after the called multibutton telephone with the phone number 201 generates the ring. Subsequently, the multibutton telephone with the phone number 203 generates the ring and turns on/off the lamp for the associated button, five seconds after the called multibutton telephone with the phone number 201 started generating the ring.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method for processing incoming calls in a telephone exchange system, such that the exchange system can process the incoming call in full consideration of the subscriber""s situations, based on data contained in a button information table and a call processing information table. As a result, the exchange system can get rid of the inconveniences which may be caused in transferring the incoming calls, and minimize generation of the ring noises.
To achieve the above objects, there is provided a method for processing an incoming call in an exchange system accommodating multibutton telephones, via extension lines, including buttons capable of designating phone numbers of extension telephones and lamps arranged in pair with the buttons. The multibutton telephones each generate a ring or turns on/off a lamp to notify receipt of the incoming call. The method includes the steps of determining whether a ring signal according to the incoming call from a central office line is detected or not; generating a ring to a called extension telephone; searching in sequence extension telephones having buttons designating a phone number of the called extension telephone; determining whether the extension telephones are set to generate the ring or turn on/off the lamp to notify receipt of the incoming call; and generating the ring or turning on/off the lamp to notify receipt of the incoming call according to a result of the above determining step.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: when an incoming telephone call is received, generating a ring at a called extension telephone corresponding to a called extension subscriber to inform said called extension subscriber of said incoming call; detecting whether a second extension telephone corresponding to a second subscriber designates a phone number corresponding to said called extension telephone, said second extension telephone being other than said called extension telephone; and when said second extension telephone is detected, turning on and off a lamp of said second extension telephone to inform said second subscriber of said incoming call.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: when an incoming telephone call is received, generating a first ring at a called extension telephone corresponding to a called extension subscriber to inform said called extension subscriber of said incoming call; detecting whether a second extension telephone corresponding to a second subscriber designates a phone number corresponding to said called extension telephone, said second extension telephone being other than said called extension telephone; and when said second extension telephone is detected, generating a second ring at said second extension telephone to inform said second subscriber of said incoming call.
To achieve these and other objects in accordance with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the present invention provides a method, comprising: producing an audible signal at a called extension telephone corresponding to a called extension subscriber to indicate an incoming telephone call, when said incoming call is received; detecting a plurality of additional extension telephones designating a phone number corresponding to said called extension telephone, said additional extension telephones corresponding to a respective plurality of additional extension subscribers, wherein said additional extension telephones include a first additional extension telephone corresponding to a first additional extension subscriber; determining whether said first additional extension telephone is configured to generate an audible signal at said first additional extension telephone to indicate said incoming call; sensing whether said first additional extension telephone is configured to turn on and off a lamp coupled to said first additional extension telephone to indicate said incoming call; generating said audible signal at said first additional extension telephone, when said first additional extension telephone is configured to generate said audible signal at said first additional extension telephone; and turning on and off said lamp coupled to said first additional extension telephone, when said first additional extension telephone is configured to turn on and off said lamp coupled to said first additional extension telephone.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example. Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.